Co-op Education

In
an ongoing effort to work for growers-owners through education and advocacy,
the Texas and Oklahoma Agricultural Co-op Councils lead the charge.

“Both
OACC and TACC recognize that it is knowledge that provides the solid foundation
upon which success is built,” said Tommy Engelke, TACC Executive Vice President.

TACC
was created in 1934 to serve as a collective voice, catalyst and clearinghouse
on all co-op activities in the state. Similarly, OACC was established in 1973
to enhance the understanding of cooperatives and advance their development.

Both
councils are voluntary, industry associations created by cooperatives to
represent them in one common voice across their respective states. Each is owned
by its member-cooperatives throughout Texas and Oklahoma by virtue of paying
dues for their existence. The respective organizations work to ensure those
inside and outside the cooperative system understand its benefits and
advantages, in addition to helping preserve the longevity of the agricultural
industry.

Both
councils conduct co-op director development programs, leadership conferences,
joint cooperative meetings and numerous other specially-designed meetings to assist
in continued education in the cooperative business model.

Each
legislative session, TACC and OACC monitor thousands of bills and serve not
only as a watchdog on regulatory initiatives, but also represent co-ops on
multiple governmental task forces and actively participate in both the election
and campaign processes.

“There’s
simply no better advocate for agriculture than the co-op system,” Engelke said.
“And we’re here to advocate at the state level for that proven business model.”

At
the grower level, TACC’s Academy in Cooperative Excellence, or A.C.E., works to
connect the dots with the newer generation of farm and families and co-op
leaders by introducing them to alternative business structures, with a special
emphasis on the co-op business model.

As
reliable information is vital to grower-owners in today’s agriculture, both
councils also provide their members with up-to-date agricultural news through
newsletters, special mailings, informational meetings and emails just to name a
few.

The
agricultural industry is ever-changing, and that is why education about co-ops
is integral not only for the added value to grower-owners, but for the power of
knowledge across the supply chain.